The time for citizens to comment on India’s proposed telecommunications bill is running out. This bill was intended to modernize the outdated laws governing our telecommunications sector. Renewal was needed, but the draft bill shows that the government intends to give itself a license raj that not only stifles digital innovation but can also violate users’ privacy. It is the basis for the definition that the term “telecommunications services” can include almost any aspect of the online experience on the telecommunications spectrum, from email and social media to in-app messaging and video sharing. It starts with flaws. The government then claims that: All these services are monopolized by default in India, and sole proprietors need to get a license, just like telcos, like Gmail, WhatsApp, Zoom, and others we have on our phones. apps will suddenly need government approval. This is a rudimentary truth of digital life: The Internet is not owned by any country. We are not using the spectrum that has been used. Because licensing means new measures of control, it also affects our right to freedom of expression. This overreach must be rolled back.
Even with clear criteria and no restrictions on permit issuance, the license gives the states arbitrary powers to enter the market. This tends to drive toll collection and stifle innovation. This should be reminiscent of the comprehensive license large in the heyday of nationalism. It’s tragic because openly accessible markets are key to innovation. Innovation is at the heart of the Indian economy’s digital leap. Don’t let the new regulatory burden overwhelm startups. After various apps took over their original role, they became data sellers, so demanding licenses for everything we use to stay in touch is a good fit for telecom incumbents. Maybe. But this is clearly a false equivalence. Telecom companies need spectrum allocations to provide us with Internet access. This was the justification for their license. The app in question, on the other hand, does not (so it can function without a license raj, as it always has). Only the state maximalist ownership role recognizes state control over chat enablers. This is the approach taken by colonial and communist regimes rather than democratic regimes that prioritize business and social freedom.
The draft Telecommunications Bill also expects all licensed telecommunications services to “unambiguously identify, through a prescribed mode of verifiable identification, to whom they provide service.” The bill appears to be inspired by colonial laws designed to spy on people, and technically creates message traceability. Decryption – License Terms. Separate regulations requiring this face legal issues of invasion of privacy, and unless our personal data is protected by law, we are even more vulnerable to prying eyes. You may find yourself exposed.The judiciary has upheld the need to protect us from encroachments on our privacy by big tech and big government. determined to be part of the package of civil rights, essential to our democratic freedoms. The draft telecommunications bill violates both commercial sense and constitutional wisdom. Congress must not enact it in its present form.
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